About 1,200 young people from Cabo Delgado, many of them displaced by the war ravaging the north of the country, will benefit from the +Emprego projectsaid Francisco André, Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
The initiative "aims to improve access to decent work and income for about 1,200 young people from Cabo Delgado," said André, after signing partnership protocols between Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, the promoting entity, and public and private Mozambican entities.
"This year, this project should already cover 200 young people settled in Pemba, mostly displaced people," and by 2022 the goal is to "ensure the creation of self-employment and promote technical assistance" so that employability is realized - also benefiting small and medium enterprises, he noted.
The protocols signed yesterday materialize the public-private partnerships between entities (companies, academies, and professional training) that are in "harmony" so that the project works, he underlined.
The 4.2 million euro initiative is funded by the European Union (EU) and was prepared to train young people for the gas sector in view of the Rovuma basin exploration projects planned for the region.
The only project that was in progress was, however, suspended, two months ago, because of insecurity in the area, but this does not invalidate the project's matrix, Osvaldo Petersburg, Deputy Minister of Labor, told Lusa.
"The kind of qualifications that the young people are going to have will enable them to work anywhere in the world," since they will get an "international certificate," he explained.
"But I am convinced that they will work in Cabo Delgado, in Palma, because we believe that it will [be possible to] resume the whole process" of investment led by the Total oil company, he said.
António Gaspar, EU ambassador to Mozambique, described the project as "a message of hope directed especially to young people," foreseeing a multiplier effect of the project - which will also include training for trainers.
Unemployment and lack of opportunities - namely in emerging gas-related investments - have been pointed out by several observers as some of the causes for recruiting young people from Cabo Delgado to the rebel groups that have been attacking the region for three years.
A quarter of the project's financial envelope will be allocated after the signing of five protocols today, said Francisco André, considering that the project is advancing at "good speed" after its launch about six months ago.